Mower.



A.. H. MATTHEW.

MOWER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15. 1913.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

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A. H. MATTHEW.

MOWER.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 15,1913.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

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AMOS HENRY MATTHEW, 0F COLVILLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH' TO JESSIE B. PROUTY, ONE-FOURTH T0 DAVID MEIKLE, ONE-EIGHTH TO ALVIN MILLER, AND ONE-EIGHTH TO WILLIAM P. TOWNSEND, ALL OF COLVILLE, WASH- INGTON.

MOWER.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914:.

Application filed July 15, 1913. Serial No. 779,113.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, AMos H. MATTHEW, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Colville, in the county of Stevens and State of Washington, have invented a new and Improved Mower, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a mower or reaper, and it is an object of the invention to provide an improved cutting mechanism and actuating means therefor requiring less expenditure of power for effective operation.

The invention further has for its object to provide a novel means whereby the cutters may be raised at an angle, for the cutting of hedges.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved means whereby the finger bar with the parts immediately appurtenant thereto, and the cutters, may be raised to clear a stump, stone, or other obstruction.

It is also an object of the invention to provide for utilizing the weight of the driver for raising the finger bar, cutters, etc.

The distinguishing features of the invention, and the important structural elements characterizing the practical embodiment which is illustrated as an example, will be more particularly explained in the specific description hereinafter to be given.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a mower embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal vertical section looking in the opposite direction from the arrow shown in Fig. 1, showing the rear end of the tongue, the axle and parts associated therewith for raising and lowering the finger bar, cutters, etc.; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front view of the inner end of the finger bar and cutters and the support therefor; and Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the reciprocating block for actuating the cutters.

Tn constructing a mower in accordance with the illustrated example, I provide an axle 10 on which the running wheels 11 are loosely mounted, the axle having a ratchet 12 fixed thereon and the wheels having pawls 13 pressed into engagement with the ratchet by springs 14:, the ratchet and pawl being known expedients in machines of this kind, to permit the running wheels to turn backward without turning the axle, and serving to rotate the axle through the medium of the ratchet upon a forward turning of the wheels. I secure also to the axle a disk 15, or its equivalent, having an internal annular gear 16, meshing with which is a spur pinion 17 on a short shaft l8,having a crank 19, connected with which is a pitman 20 for operating the cutters as hereinafter explained.

The crank shaft 18 has bearings in an arm 21 or equivalent part of a frame bar 21 and in a bracket 22, both of which are clamped or otherwise secured to a hollow axle or sleeve 23, surrounding the main axle 10, and free to have a limited turning or rocking movement relatively to the said main axle and relatively to the wheels 11. The frame bar 21 extends forwardly and its free end has a downward extension 24; forming a bearing for the front journal 25 of a rock able head 26, the opposite end of which is provided with a journal 27, which has a bearing in the lower end of a frame bar 28, which extends from the diagonal brace 29, which brace is connected at its forward end with the frame bar 21, and at its rear end with the hollow axle 23 at the end of the latter opposite the connection of the frame bar 21. It is to be understood that the frame bars constitute simply one expedient for supporting the parts.

The head 26 carries the finger bar or supporting bar 30 for oppositely reciprocating cutters 31, 32. I do not utilize the finger bar 30 to co-act with the cutters other than as a support, but said bar may have guard fingers 34: in any suitable number to protect the teeth of the cutters from being damaged by stones or the like. The outer end of the finger bar may have any approved form of shoe 33, and a second shoe 33* is provided on the rockable head 26. The inner ends of the cutters 31, 32, are provided with studs or wrist pins 35, 36, on arms 35*, 36 The said studs operate in diagonal slots 37, 38, respectively formed in the top 39 and bottom 39 of slide block 39. Said block 39 has guided reciprocal movement in the head '26, a guide flange 40 being shown at the outer side of said slide block, and the inner side 40 of'the head 26 constituting the other guide memher for the slide. The block 39 has a trans verse clearance slot 39 for the arms 36. A ball and socket connection 42 is provided between the pitman 20 and the stem 41 on the slide block 39, which willpermit the head 26 being rocked vertically on its trunnions 25, 27, to raise the finger bar 30 and the cutters upwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, to the desired angle to cut a hedge.

To rock the head 26 for raising the finger bar and cutters, a rocking lever 43 is connected with the journal 27 of the said head, the rear end of the bar having a bearing 44 in a hanger 45 secured to the hollow axle 23, and preferably integral with the hanger 22 of the crank shaft 18. The lever 43 is bent at its rear end and given the form of a handle 47. The draft tongue 50 is supported at its rear end on the'hollow axle 23 and a seat 52 is provided, the standard or support 51 of which is of U-shape and may be secured to the rear end of the tongue 50 (see Figs. 1 and 3). I provide means in connection with the tongue and hollow axle whereby to raise the head 26 and the finger bar and cutters toward the tongue in order to clear an obstruction. For the purpose mentioned use is made in the present example of an arm 53, preferably U-shaped in cross section, to embrace the under portion of the tongue 50, said arm being pivoted as at 53 to the tongue, and fixedly connected with the hollow axle 23 in any suitable manner, herein illustrated as by means of a short standard 54. Fixed on the tongue 50 at the rear end, at one side, is a plate 55, to which is pivoted a link member 56, a second link member 57 being pivoted to the forward end of the arm 53 the two link members being pivotally united as at 58, in the form of a toggle link. Connected with the pivot 58, or formed integral therewith, is a push rod 59 which extends rearwardly and upwardly to a position to be reached by the foot of the driver on the seat 52, for pushing the pivoted ends of the link members forwardly over the dead center, and thus permitting the toggle link to break and allowing the arm 53 to rock upwardly on its pivot 53 Since the said arm is in fixed relation to the hollow axle 23, the upward movement of the said arm will rock the said hollow axle rearwardly and thus raise the forward members 21, 29, and rock the brackets 22, 45 forwardly and upwardly, the result being that the head 26, the finger bar 30, and the cutters 31, 32, will be raised toward the under side of the tongue 50, for clearing any obstruction.

In order to utilize the weight of the driver in raising the frame members and the head 26, etc., a rearwardly projecting member 61 is provided on the hollow axle 23, this member being preferably integral with the standard 54 or an equivalent part fixed on the said hollow axle. The U-shaped standard or support 51 for the seat 52 bears against the projecting member 61, and the forward front member of said U-shaped standard or support is more or less flexible so that the driver may place his foot upon the push rod 59 to work the toggle link 56, 57, and cause his weight, acting through the seat standard to exert a downward pressure on the member 61 to rock the hollow axle and thus raise the frame members 21, 29, and the parts carried thereby. It will be understood that the forward pressure on the push rod 59 also tends to rock the hollow axle 23 by raising the arm 53. The link member 56 has a stop 60, which when the pivots of the link members 56, 57, and the connecting pivot 58 are all in line and at dead center, will come to a halt against the link member 57. In order to bring the link members 56, 57, back into line after a forward movement of the push rod 59, I provide a lever 62, fulcrumed at 64 on the arm 53, and formed with a pedal 63 to receive the foot of the driver, for rocking said lever 62, and bringing the upwardly bent end 65 thereof against the stud 66 formed on the link member 57 at a point between the ends of said member. The pivot 64 is common both to the link member 57 and to the lever 62.

The actuating of the cutters 31, 32, by means of the crossed slots and pins, results in the effective reciprocation of the cutters relatively to each other with a minimum expenditure of power. The cutters are each formed with similar teeth 31, 32, each tooth presenting one side edge ranging forwardly perpendicular to the length of the cutter and an opposite side edge diagonal to the length of the cutter. Thus in the reciprocation of the cutters in opposite directions alternately by the slot and pin connection with the slide block 39, the cutters coact, respectively cutting the grain or the like.

The raising of the cutters at an angle, as in Fig. 4, is effected simply by the driver grasping the handle 47 to rock the lever 43 laterally. In the raising and lowering of the finger bar and cutters, the center of movement being the trunnions 25, 27, the pitman 20 will accommodate itself to the swinging of the cutter bar by reason of the ball and socket connection 42 and more or less resiliency in the pitman, together with the loose connection between the said pitman and the crank 19 to permit a slight play at the crank if necessary.

The described construction affords a practical means for carrying my invention into efiect, and I would state in conclusion that I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as. new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a mower, cutting means comprising oppositely reciprocating cutters, a slide block having diagonal slots, lying in different horizontal planes which are parallel to each other, and in two intersecting planes, pins on the cutters operating in said slots, means for actuating said slide block, a head in which the slide block has movement, and means for rocking said head and the slide block and cutters vertically, the actuating means for the slide block accommodating itself to the vertical rocking of the head.

2. In a mower, a wheeled axle, a frame adapted to rock vertically on the axle, cutter means carried by the frame, a tongue, a supported seat, and means for raising and lowering the frame by the weight of the driver on the said seat, the said raising means comprising an arm pivoted on the tongue for vertical movement and having connection with said frame, so that the said arm and frame may rock upwardly in unison, a member connected with the frame and adapted to be borne upon by a part appurtenant to the seat, toggle link members connected with each other and pivoted respectively to the said arm and to the tongue, and a push rod connected with the toggle link members, to move the same off the dead center.

3. In a mower, a wheel axle, a frame adapted to rock vertically on the axle, outter means carried by the frame, a tongue, a supported seat and means for raising and lowering the frame by the weight of the driver on the said seat, the said raising means comprising an arm pivoted on the tonguefor vertical movement and having connection with said frame, so that the said arm and frame may rock upwardly in unison, a member connected with the frame and adapted to be borne upon by a part appurtenant to the seat, toggle link members connected with each other and pivoted respectively to the said arm and to the tongue, a push rod connected with the toggle link members to move the same ofi the dead cen ter, and a foot lever fulcrumed on the arm pivoted to the tongue and having a member movable into engagement with one of the toggle link members to bring said members back to dead center.

4:. In a mower, cutting means, a frame carrying said cutting means, a hollow axle mounted to have limited turning movement, said frame being rigidly connected with said axle, an arm rigid with the hollow axle to turn therewith, a toggle link pivoted at one end on the frame and at the other end to said arm, and a push rod connected with the link members at their point of pivot.

5. In a mower, cutting means, a frame carrying said cutting means, a hollow axle mounted to have limited turning movement, said frame being rigidly connected with said axle, an arm rigid with the hollow axle to turn therewith, a toggle link pivoted at one end on the frame and at the other end to said arm, a push rod connected with the link members at their point of pivot, a drivers seat, a support for said seat, and a member rigid with the hollow axle and with which said support has engagement.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AMOS HENRY MATTHEW.

Witnesses:

HOWARD W. STULL, H. WADE BAILEY.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. G. 

